Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy, Langhe, Virtus

Pleasure to witness a noticeable improvement of this cuvee after nearly 3 years. A blend of 60% Barbera and 40% CS, aged in FR oak for 28 months followed by almost 9 years in bottle before its release. Medium ruby colour, paling rim. Medium+ intensity aroma of roses, cherries, blackcurrants, leather, cedar, underbrush, tobacco hits. Medium body, bright, lean and vibrant with saline cherry flavours, tobacco and earth hints, high acidity, medium silky short tannins.

Opened for 3 hours Black cherry, pencil shavings, wet forrest floor, quite fruit forward, spiciness, some dried violets, , but with the strong tannins. You can feel the French oak influence. Acid is still very strong. The merlot seems to overpower the Nebbiolo and Barberasca. Nice wine for the price and aging well, but I feel the merlot takes away from the traditional Italian grapes.

Mint to the nose veering to into Eucalyptus. Medium tannin, earthiness to the palate.

A blend of 60% Barbera d'Alba and 40% Cabernet-Sauvignon, vineyards in the valley just below Martinenga, aged for 28 months in barrique and then for a further nine (!) years in bottle before release in 2022. Very interesting interplay between the crisp leafiness of the Cabernet and the spicy richness of the Barbera. Harmonious and cool, clean and stylish, still completely fresh after more than 12 years, tightly wound but with a certain souplesse, complete finish, very good length. At …

Etwas gar marmeladig...

Interesting Langhe of exemplary QPR. A blend of 60% Barbera and 40% CS, aged in FR oak for 28 months followed by almost 9 years in bottle before its release. Medium intensity fresh fruit forward aroma of cherries, raspberry hints, roses, crushed stones, earth, medicinal touches. Medium body, bursting with youthfulness. At first feels green, sour and bitterish, after many hours it softens, but still retains vibrant fresh acidity along good but short tannic grip releasing to a clean and …

Zu Beginn noch etwas dominante Röst-/Vanillearomen. Danach eine sehr schöne Balance. Lang anhaltend.

Thanksgiving week in Piemonte; 11/22/2019-11/30/2019 (Milan, Barolo, Alba, Barbaresco) : Tasted at the winery. This one was a bit off the beaten path - a blend of Barbera and Cab Sauv - with some decent age on the bottle. Not a fan of Barbera, but the blending with the CS, brought some nice tannin and structure to the wine. The age on this added a bit more complexity. Not sure I would seek it out, but was interesting.

Piedmont II - better and learnings; 11/23/2019-11/29/2019 (Barolo, Alba, others) : A very different wine. 60% Barbera and 40% CS. One of the first places to plant CS in the Piedmont region. 2 years in French Oak. Barbera is not my grape, but the Cab does seem to temper it a bit. This comes across as nice and fresh. Darker fruits. More of the green and herbal side. To be honest it reminds me of a CF profile more than …

Dry cork, no good

We drank this wine with fillet of beef Wellington and fries daphne. The wine was good before, during and after the meal. Soft and fruity flavors with classic notes of Barbera and Piedmont. A enjoyable wine.

We drank this wine together with entrecote and fried potatoes. Full-bodied, intense and fruity wine.

Xmas 2006: purple red color; restrained red and dark fruit aromas/flavors; strongly tannic. Points: 89+/100. Opened too young, give him another 3-5 years of cellaring.

Tasted at the winery - the Barbera / Cabernet 60/40 blend displayed ruby, medium to dark colour. Typical cabernet aromas, black currant, coming through. Dry, medium to medium heavy body with powerful flavours and fairly acidic. Black currant and spices on the palate - a very enjoyable wine.